4.2 Faculty Teaching Grants

The Kenyon Faculty Teaching Grants program provides funds to support members of the faculty in developing new and creative courses, restructuring existing courses, or the attendance at workshops or other productions that will enhance the teaching methods and strategies of faculty members (see Provost’s website for additional information). Proposals are evaluated and grants awarded by the Faculty Affairs Committee. The program is administered by the Associate Provost.

Early in the fall semester, the Faculty Affairs Committee determines the level of funding for individual grants and publishes deadlines and guidelines for the Teaching Grant program. At the end of the funding round, the Faculty Affairs Committee publishes a list of grants awarded.

(Approved November 1996, revised June 2013)

4.2.1 Eligibility (Revised Dec 2013)

Eligible to participate are:

all members holding full-time appointments at the ranks of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor (this includes full-time visiting appointments and shared appointments, as well as faculty members in phased retirement);
all members appointed under at least a half-time contract at the time of application;
and all full-time members of the professional library staff. Members in the last category should discuss their proposals with the Associate Provost before submitting them to the Faculty Affairs Committee.

Applicants must be employed by the College at the time of application submission and during the funding period. Joint applications are acceptable within departments and programs, as well as across departmental, program, and divisional lines. Not all persons in a joint application need be eligible as individuals. Faculty Teaching Grants may not be used in support of work towards a degree or for expenses which are primarily promotional in character.

4.2.2 Objectives

Faculty Teaching Grants are intended primarily for initiatives aimed at teaching or reflection on pedagogical practices or other related applications. Consequently, proposals may be directed toward unusual expenses associated with the creation of new courses, new equipment for teaching, interdisciplinary collaborations, conferences focused on pedagogy, summer seminars on issues related to student learning (like community-based research, student-faculty collaborations, and study abroad advancement), as well as other projects of similar scope. Funds will not be awarded if the proposal focuses primarily on the research, writing, and artistic activities of faculty members. Funding for such proposals is available through Faculty Research Grants. (See section 4.1.) Proposed budgets for summer seminars ONLY may include stipends, at the rate of $100 per participant per day, or $50 per participant per half day (either morning or afternoon).

4.2.3 Proposals

A member seeking support will submit a written proposal to the Faculty Affairs Committee in accordance with the guidelines published by the Faculty Affairs Committee for the current year. Members planning to submit a proposal are encouraged to discuss it with the Associate Provost or the chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee, but only a fully developed proposal, submitted by the deadline, will be considered by the committee.

Applications must include the following:

The summary cover sheet available online from the Kenyon Grant Guidelines.
A statement of the project, the expected results, and the relationship of the project to the teaching of the member and the curricular goals of the College. When applicable, applicants should provide a detailed discussion of the structure of the new course, its innovative features, and the materials necessary for its successful execution.
A timetable.
A detailed budget for all books, equipment, materials, travel, and other expenses. Since funds are limited, every effort to economize should be made. Applicants should utilize the least expensive facilities and resources. Requests for books and equipment should not include those which are routinely purchased by the department or program, or are made available through other resources.

Requests for equipment will be entertained only if it is clear that the applicant has exhausted all other alternative sources for such funding. Unless otherwise requested by the applicant, all equipment is the property of the College.

Faculty members eligible for IFDAs are reminded that IFDA funds may be used without committee review for attendance at professional meetings and other types of faculty development. There is a section on the cover sheet for applicants to explain why IFDA funds are not sufficient to cover the expenses in their budget.
If applicable, a statement as to whether outside funding was sought.
If relevant to the current proposal, reference to previously-obtained Kenyon Faculty Teaching grants.
A current vita. (2 page limit)
Applicants seeking funding to attend workshops or other productions must specify how their attendance will directly contribute to the applicant's instruction.

For the application to be considered complete, the applicant must have submitted written reports on previously awarded Teaching Grants. The committee will review the file on the most recently funded proposal, and may review files pertaining to earlier grants as well. An application should regard this information as available to the committee and make references to it as appropriate.

4.2.4 Evaluation of Proposals

After each announced grant deadline, the Faculty Affairs Committee will meet to evaluate proposals. Before each meeting, the members read the proposals and rate them on a five-point scale. At the meeting the members discuss each proposal and their individual ratings. Following this discussion, members declare their final rating and the results are tallied. The committee then determines appropriate funding and makes awards. The Associate Provost notifies applicants of the committee's decisions. Applicants may discuss the committee's decision regarding their proposal with the chair or any other member of the committee.

When a member of the committee has submitted a proposal to be evaluated, that member must excuse himself or herself during the time the proposal is evaluated. The other committee members will vote, and the total score will be multiplied by a fraction compensating for the member's absence, or the scores will be added and averaged, and the average score will be added to the total.

The principal criteria used in evaluating proposals are:

The academic merit and pedagogical goals of the project in relation to the mission of the department or program and the College.
The qualifications of the member.
The ability of the member to successfully carry out the project.
The feasibility of the plan and the timetable.
The availability of resources and research facilities.
The demonstrated need for funding to pursue the project.

These criteria must be clearly stated and/or argued in the member's proposal.

4.2.5 Revocation of Approved Funding

The Faculty Affairs Committee has the right to revoke its funding of proposals when, in its estimation, members have failed to utilize approved funds within a reasonable period. Successful applicants must follow the policies and practices described in this section (4.2) when spending their grant allocation.

4.2.6 Faculty Reports

All recipients of Teaching Grants, including cosponsors of joint grants, must submit written reports to the Associate Provost on the work accomplished under the grant. The report is due within two months of the completion date for the project. It should include the recipient's evaluation of the project and a summary of actual funds expended and all receipts covering those expenditures. The report is required of all recipients to maintain eligibility for subsequent proposals. No proposal will be considered for funding if the applicant has failed to submit a written report for any previous Teaching Grant.